The Inside Story of How Colleges Evaluate Extra-Curriculars

May 21, 2010 by  
Filed under Admission Tips

As college admissions have become drastically more competitive, the focus on extra-curricular activities has increased as well. Students today are getting involved in their high schools, communities, and on the playing field and in performance much more than ever before. Parents are programming their children from very early on to "get involved." High School counselors preach everyday, "more clubs, more activities, more service." Some of my clients have given me resumes that are 5 pages in length! And they haven't even graduated high school yet! At the same time, many students get overwhelmed by the wide variety of extra-curricular options and fail to get involved with anything in depth. Other students will ignore extra-curriculars entirely until... Read More »

How to Think About the College Investment

For middle class families, one can expect to pay $50-200 thousand dollars for 4 plus years of college education. For many families, this investment will be second only to the cost of their home. Beyond monetary investment, your child's future is on the line. Making incorrect choices can amount to years of wasted time for a student, a misuse of family money, the loss of self-esteem and damage to career prospects. With such high high stakes, prudent deliberation is a must. College has always been a special time in the lives of young adults. In the early years of post secondary institutions of learning, college was a time for separation, intensive study, and great camaraderie. In the years since the baby... Read More »

How to Use High School Wisely

March 9, 2010 by  
Filed under Admission Tips, Featured Articles

For most teenagers, high school is a time for survival. Very few teens and families take the time to properly plan and evaluate this important time. Academically, high school should be a time of exploration. At best, students find areas of interest that will be pursued in college and beyond. More often, though, high school students are not presented stimulating material. With this circumstance, a high school academic career is mostly a trudge to completion of endless assignments and evaluations. In pursuits outside the classroom, families and students often fail to approach possibilities with the important question: “What do I enjoy?” Frequently, students listen to the rumor mill and choose the pursuits that everyone else pursues. Not only is this a... Read More »

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